I've always maintained that some of the best fashion came from the 40's and 50's when silhouettes were bold yet ladylike. In keeping with the vintage spirit of Haute Hijab, we're bringing you different style icons from era's past starting with none other than the iconic Audrey Hepburn. 

Audrey has become a worldwide symbol of style and elegance and the most ingenious quality about her sense of style is that she knew what looked good on her and what didn't. She's known for her simplicity and avoided fashion trends. These timeless photos are a sentiment to this fact as everything she's wearing can still be donned today.

While Audrey loved fashion, she used it as a tool to complement her looks, rather than letting fashion use her. Learn from Audrey and stick with the classics that you know work for you.

 

Audrey's son Sean Hepburn Ferrer was quoted saying his mother's style was, "The extension of an inner beauty reinforced by a life of discipline, respect for the other, and hope in humanity."

 

 “I decided, very early on, just to accept life unconditionally; I never expected it to do anything special for me, yet I seemed to accomplish far more than I had ever hoped. Most of the time it just happened to me without my ever seeking it.”

 

“It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so 'don't fuss, dear; get on with it.'”

  

“Since the world has existed, there has been injustice. But it is one world, the more so as it becomes smaller, more accessible. There is just no question that there is more obligation that those who have should give to those who have nothing.”

"My mother always used to say, 'Good things aren't supposed to just fall in your lap. God is very generous, but he expects you to do your part first.' So you have to make that effort. But at the end of a bad time or a huge effort, I've always had - how shall I say it? - the prize at the end. My whole life shows that.”

Hubert de Givenchy designed many of the actress' personal ensembles, as well as those made famous in Funny Face and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Audrey said about Givenchy, "His are the only clothes in which I am myself." In contrast to the prevailing bombshell ideal, Givenchy found his lifelong muse in the boyishly slender Hepburn and in turn called her his "ideal woman."

“Why change? Everyone has his own style. When you have found it, you should stick to it.”

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

 

“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It's the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.”

“You have to look at yourself objectively. Analyze yourself like an instrument. You have to be absolutely frank with yourself. Face your handicaps, don't try to hide them. Instead, develop something else.”

We can't get enough of Audrey's timeless, elegant style and how she made a statement with pieces as simple as black turtlenecks and white collared shirts. What other style icons would you like to see? Comment below or e-mail us at blog@hautehijab.com!